Thursday, May 5, 2011

Oh, the insanity!

So, obviously, some time has passed. A lot has happened, as always, that has kept me from forming more than a single coherent sentence in the last month or so. G's birthday, my birthday, I got a job and three weeks later was again unemployed, I contracted a three-week-long strain of strep throat (that I am still struggling with), A got sick (is sick?), Hubby got a job, and most recently my mother went into the hospital with what started as cellulitis in her right foot, but has progressed into a nasty abscess. They've given her IV antibiotics and did an MRI on her foot, but we won't know whether or not they think that surgery is necessary to remove dead tissue and potential pus pockets in her bones until the doctor does his rounds and actually looks at the MRI today.

So, anyway, what are we doing now.. Ah, yes. A and I are working on potty learning. This has been an interesting experience, and unquestionably way different than the first time around with G. With G it was difficult and a battle; at the time we used disposable training pants, which he was still wearing day and night at just over three years old. He seemed to have no interest in using the potty, no matter how many times we showed him how Daddy did it, no matter how much we played it up to him and celebrated the few rare occasions where he actually managed to pee on the toilet. We had a potty chair for him but in all honesty, it didn't change much, and in desperation we bought a dual toilet seat that has a larger seat for adults with a smaller seat on top for children. This worked, to a degree, but it was still a constant fight. He could wear training pants all day and not particularly care if they were wet or dirty, and while we could catch the signs for the latter, we had no idea when he was ready to pee or not (we don't do EC, mostly because of this; we just can't learn our boys' signs, apparently), and even if we did catch him before he pooped, he refused to poop anywhere but in his training pants. It was an absolute disaster - and then, randomly, one day he was just done with them. I truly think he was ready just after his third birthday when he suddenly was dry day and night, either asking to use the potty when in public or doing so without difficulty on his own at home, and was completely accident-free. It was, I think, a small miracle that we never could have foreseen. It literally just happened one night, and he was on the potty whenever he needed from then on.

A, of course, has been a different story. With his big brother to guide him, he has found using the potty to be more interesting and appealing to him. He's still in diapers at night, but during the day he's either in training pants or completely naked. Granted, he still has accidents, but a good portion of the time he asks to use the potty and seems unafraid to do any and all of his business there. We deal with the accidents in stride, without criticism or disgust, and afterwards take him to the potty where he always seems to find he has a bit more to offer. He shows all the interest in learning to use the potty that G seemed to lack, and is self-sufficient enough to wipe (if given the toilet paper, and not if he has pooped, still needs help with that), shut the potty, and flush. He needs help getting on and off, but that's to be expected despite his impressive height. It's like we're in a different world here, and the difference is honestly astounding.

Meanwhile, I am still trying to grow things. I'm succeeding in a way, and failing in another; life got in the way and the place my plants were located didn't allow me to remember to water frequently enough. My plants are behind where they should be, hands down, but are still struggling to survive. I'll take that.